The Maine Department of Transportation is considering major changes to the Falmouth Spur, Route 1 and two Interstate 295 exits in Falmouth.

If the project makes it to construction, which would begin in 2028 at the earliest, it would be one of the most expensive transportation projects in Maine’s history, according to Maine DOT Senior Project Manager Martin Rooney.

Presenting to the Falmouth Town Council on Monday, Rooney shared the reasoning behind the proposed project, which is still in the preliminary design phase.

“The main purpose of this project is safety,” Rooney said.

The project is centered on the convergence of I-295, Route 1 and the Falmouth Spur (the short freeway linking Interstate 95 with I-295 and Route 1). It is a particularly high-traffic area, said Ray Hanf, the project manager at HNTB Corp. who presented the preliminary design.

“There aren’t many major interstate system-to-system connections in the state,” he said.

The area — which includes Exits 10 and 11 — has had 79 crashes from 2022–2024 and is considered a “high-frequency, moderate severity” crash environment, Hanf said.

Hanf said the proposed changes would reduce speeds and increase safety. They include adding two three-pronged intersections on Route 1, adding a new road off of I-295, improving the Exit 10 and 11 southbound ramps and creating a collector distributor road on I-295 northbound meant to force cars to slow down as they entered the interstate.

The project also includes replacing the existing Falmouth Spur bridge that goes over I-295, as well as possibly slightly changing the bridge’s location.

The entire project is subject to available funding, Rooney said. While there are “many variables still being assessed,” Rooney wrote in an email, planning estimates for the cost of the project range between $65-75 million. Aside from some major bridges in Maine, it would be near the top of the list of the most expensive road projects in the state.

The majority of Maine DOT’s highway projects are paving and reconstruction projects that build on existing alignment, or intersection safety or mobility projects. The proposed Falmouth project’s large scope of work and new construction results in its exceptionally high costs, Maine DOT Project Manager Gary Libby said in an email.

Other projects comparable in cost and magnitude include the connector linking Interstate-395 in Brewer with Route 9 in Eddington, which opened last year with a $107 million price tag, the Presque Isle Bypass that is currently under construction for $84 million, and the diverging diamond interchange at I-95 and Hogan Road in Bangor that broke ground this spring and is set to cost $57 million.

Maine DOT currently only has funding to work on project design and outreach through the end of the year, with additional money needed for finalizing the design. The department plans to start public engagement about the project this fall, which might include a website, an open house or a public meeting, Rooney said.

If the project got funded, which would likely take some type of extraordinary funding, Rooney said, construction would likely begin in late 2028 or 2029.

“These types of projects can take 20 years. They can take more,” Rooney said. “It has the chance to get done in a couple years.”

Rooney and Hanf also spoke with the Falmouth Town Council about how the project would also increase bicycle and pedestrian connectivity on Route 1, as well as potentially open up some land for development. The council has been working toward increasing development along Route 1 in Falmouth for years.

“I personally think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Councilor Peter LaFond said.